The Sentinel Queen: Not the End of Me
by Rachel500
Summary: When Sam comes online as a Sentinel Queen, she has to face her destiny and whether she will choose her Sentinel King...


Stargate SG1 is somebody else's as is The Sentinel and I freely admit that whoever's they are, I'm borrowing their shows and they retain all rights, etc.

 **Author's Note:** This is the first part of a Stargate trilogy fusion with The Sentinel and Arthurian mythology, and was written by me in April as part of a RT challenge using the pseudonym 'TrekCat' (my AO3 id acknowledges the pseud which also has a NCIS/Sentinel fic also associated with it).

I don't believe there is a need to know anything about The Sentinel to follow the stories other than to know a Sentinel has enhanced senses and usually has a Guide who assists them in controlling this gift. There is also no real crossover here (characters are mentioned but do not appear or take part in the story), so I am only submitting it to the Stargate categories. I should also acknowledge that the title comes from 'I Believe' by Christina Perri.

The second story is set in SGA, the third in SGU. The stories can be found under my userid. You don't need to read the other stories beyond this if you're not a fan of the other Stargate shows as all stories were written to be read as individual pieces (just enriched if read as a trilogy).

From a challenge perspective I was happy enough with this back in April although I'm pretty sure someone else has also used Wepwawet as a villain somewhere in the fandom before me. I have since added a little bit more Jack.

For my long term readers, I hope this provides a belated gift after being absent from the Stargate fandom for so long. While I've been saying it for a very long time in my profile, I will be returning to Aftershocks and finishing the SG1 series in 2016.

Spoilers for SG1, SGA and SGU ahead. Sam/Jack.

 **The Sentinel Queen: Not the End of Me**

The forest was too sparse as a hiding place but it was all Sam Carter had.

Thin white trees with a widespread canopy of green leaves provided little shelter from the heat of the alien sun in its cloudless sky; the scorched grass and dry wood that littered the ground testament to the lack of shade and relentless temperature.

Sam wiped a hand over her sweaty brow and contemplated her next move.

Anubis's SuperSoldier had hit the Alpha site by surprise. She knew what he was searching for – the power cell to the weapon she and her father had just perfected the exact moment the attack had occurred.

Dad. She'd had to leave Jacob Carter and run for her life, both of them carrying one of the main pieces of the weapon with them to safety. It was the most important item on the planet, perhaps in the galaxy right at that moment, and both Carters had understood the mission of keeping it out of Anubis's hands was more important than either of their want to remain together.

He was alive, Sam reassured herself. He'd been alive the last time she'd seen him. She had to hold onto that and the hope that Selmak, his Tok'ra companion, was capable of healing any injury her Dad might have sustained.

She dragged her racing mind back on topic and frowned, her face creasing into thoughtful lines.

A spy.

There had to have been a spy on the Alpha site it was the only explanation for why the attack had happened at such a serendipitous moment. She shook her head. She'd deal with the problem of the spy later. Well, she and SG1 would deal with the problem later.

If they came for her.

Sam swallowed, her mouth too dry. They'd come for her. But even as she tried to focus on Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, it was Jack O'Neill's ruggedly handsome face which swam up from her memory to the forefront of her mind.

Jack would never leave her behind.

She closed her eyes briefly as though the action would close out his image. She had to stop dwelling on Jack, she thought irritated with herself. Apart from the obvious chain of command issues as her Commanding Officer, Jack was an Alpha Sentinel and off the market to a mundane. His previous Guide, Sara, had broken their bond after the death of their son leading Jack to the first suicidal Stargate mission; the loss of his Guide had devastated the Sentinel.

Even though Jack had made it clear on his return to service when Apophis had emerged that he wasn't interested in another permanent Guide, settling instead for the pseudo-bond he had formed with Teal'c, he also wasn't going to get involved with a team member under his protection. Hadn't they already determined that when they'd left it in the room after the whole za'tarc fiasco? Hadn't she decided after the whole Prometheus experience to stop dwelling and move on?

She grimaced.

OK, so her attempt to move on hadn't been a success. Pete Shanahan was a nice guy but he had issues with control and trust – perhaps not surprising given his ex-wife had slept with his ex-partner on the force – but still. Following her to a stake-out was not cool; having his FBI buddy check her out was downright unacceptable. God, finding that out in a meeting with the General ranked way up on her list of embarrassing-please-let-the-floor-open-and-swallow-me moments.

Pete was gone.

She'd enjoyed feeling like an attractive woman, enjoyed the romancing and flirtation, but not enough to put up with a man who clearly didn't trust her.

She sighed again.

Attractive was the last thing she was feeling. Her skin was crawling. The rough fabric of her BDU pants was rubbing at the creases of her knees and making them sting. She could feel the wire of her bra as though it was cutting into her skin. Her jacket felt heavy on her shoulders but she knew to take it off would be to lose a valuable asset and provide a way for the soldier to track her.

Sam rubbed at her forehead, unwittingly smearing blood across her temple from a small cut there where she had been hit with debris when the Alpha site had self-destructed. The scent of iron as she lowered her hand made her nose wrinkle and another scent, fresh and sharp, caught her attention.

Water.

It took only a few moments to walk to the edge of the forest. She peered out at the babbling small stream in the open clearing. It was the only source of water she'd found and she had to take the risk of discovery. She listened hard trying to hear if anything was near but apart from a strange whooshing of wind through the trees and what she might swear was the crackle of the dead wood drying in the sun, there was nothing.

She crept forward and stooped at the side of the stream. The rocks bit into her knees and she bit her lip at the sudden sharp pain. She ignored it though in favour of appeasing her thirst.

She had barely taken her second cupped hand of water when the angry sound of a drone plane cut through the air and Sam's head whipped around to find it. Her eyes scanned the empty blue, wondering where it was; she could hear it so clearly. Suddenly it appeared and her gaze narrowed zeroing in on the payload it carried. She swore she could almost see the registration numbers on the missile.

A white blast of energy zapped through the air, knocking the drone from the air and shocking Sam into ducking and blinking hurriedly. She shook her head. She was tired and dehydrated. It probably explained her slight zone out. Keep it together, Sam ordered herself briskly.

The drone was a good sign. It suggested that Stargate Command was on site and knew there was a SuperSoldier on planet. The missile gave away that someone had come up with a way to help her until they could find her.

She grinned.

Adrenaline flooded her as her mind turned to the hunt for the missile and she moved stealthily back to the sparse cover of the trees heading for the downed UAV.

It was the startling crunch of a boot on a rock that made Sam blink, the world coming back into focus. She frowned, her heart beating heavily in her chest as she took in an urgent breath. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten to where she was – crouched behind a rock, the remains of the UAV behind her, the missile perched ready to fire with the wires in her hands to ignite it.

Sam shook her head; there was no time to consider her missing time. The reason why she had startled back into awareness was staring at her across the clearing; the SuperSoldier.

For a long moment it was though time was suspended as they held their tensed positions either side of the clearing; staring each other down like duelling cowboys in an old Western.

The SuperSoldier went to raise his arm and Sam fired the missile.

She dived for cover, hands pressing hard over her ears, as the explosion lit up the world.

There was a dead silence. Sam cautiously peeked out. There was nothing but a rock filled crater where the SuperSoldier had stood. She staggered out and winced as pain shot up her leg, a long angry scratch she'd ignored since the initial attack making itself known. She rested on a boulder and reached down to deal with the bleeding; it was iron sharp in her nostrils.

A rumbling sound from the crater caught her immediate attention and she whipped her head around to look in shock as a black gloved hand pushed through the rock debris; as the SuperSoldier started to fight through the rock that had buried it.

For a second, Sam was frozen; fear rocketing through her but then her mind blanked as feral instinct took over and she rose to meet the SuperSoldier intent on killing it with her bare hands…

Gunfire suddenly burst through the trees, peppering the SuperSoldier with bullet after bullet…

Teal'c moved from the treeline as he continued to fire.

Sam dived back to the cover she'd found for the missile build as Jack ran from the trees to join her. The scent of him, familiar and comforting, flooded her and Sam struggled to focus. He had the prototype weapon in his hands and he fired drawing the SuperSoldier's attention back to them just as it finished firing its energy weapon at their team-mate.

The blast of the weapon rocked the SuperSoldier back but it didn't kill it. Sam hurriedly reached into her pocket.

"Carter, do you…"

Sam handed him the energy cell.

Jack's warm brown eyes caught hers for a moment.

Their gazes held and Sam's heart stampeded as she recognised the glint of something in Jack's eyes that called to her.

 _Mine_ , it said clearly.

An energy blast hit their cover and Jack turned his attention back to the weapon, removing the old cell and replacing it with an assured competence that spoke to his years of service.

A moment later it was all over.

The SuperSoldier was dead. Teal'c ran over to check, prodding it with his boot but he gave a nod towards them as he continued to guard its body.

Jack turned to her, a frown on his face and his nostrils flared as though scenting her for the first time. Sam felt the draw of their attraction flood her again. The want for him was like a tidal wave; a need to taste and mark and…

Panic bubbled up, stealing her remaining breath.

Jack's confused eyes giving away to alarm was the last thing Sam saw before her hold on consciousness slid away.

o-O-o

Jack lurched forward and caught Carter before she could hit the ground. He breathed in her scent and let it steady him. He let the weight of her against him comfort and soothe his ragged emotions.

She was alive.

The last few months had been insane; she seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time missing or injured and it was driving Jack crazy. Why couldn't he have fallen for someone who liked knitting and staying at home? Of course he'd never really been attracted to stay-at-home types; his former wife and Guide had been a kick-ass Air Force engineer before she'd fallen pregnant and resigned her commission. Sam was more than kick-ass; she was incredible, a national treasure…and Jack didn't deserve her regard or affection as much as he secretly enjoyed having both.

Secretly, because he wasn't supposed to have regard or affection for her either both as her CO and as an Alpha Sentinel. Sam was a mundane and he shouldn't have been as drawn to her as he was but there was something about her…

They'd always had a fierce attraction; dangerous between officers who served together; dangerous even more so because of his position as her CO. They'd chosen to leave it in a room; to honour their oaths to put their mission first. And because he was a coward. He'd lost Sara, his Guide and wife, and his son. He couldn't bear another loss; almost thinking he had killed Sam one time had put that into perspective for him.

But now…

He was beginning to realise that trying to ignore the truth of their feelings for each other wasn't quite insulating either of them against the immense loss that would occur.

He sighed as he adjusted his hold on Carter, beginning to assess her injuries and breathed deeply again as he registered a faint change in her scent; he tucked his head into the side of her neck and breathed her in again to check.

Something was changed.

Something fundamental.

Something that had called to him in the heat of the battle…

He frowned and set her down gently on the ground. He looked up briefly to check his surroundings and relaxed a touch at the sight of Teal'c standing guard, his back to them to give them privacy or the illusion of it. The Jaffa knew how they felt and while he honoured their decision, Jack figured he was an eyebrow away from being called stupid.

He slowly started to assess her physical condition; scrapes and bruises doctored her skin and he felt a rush of primal fury against the SuperSoldier. So much so that if he was tempted to pick up the weapon and shoot at the corpse until it was mush. He started first aid on the worst of her injuries, namely the leg wound she had sustained.

"Teal'c," Jack called out tersely, "radio for the medics to meet us at the 'gate."

"Does Major Carter not require a stretcher, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"I'll carry her." Jack said. He was pleased when Teal'c bowed his head and made no further argument.

He dimly heard Teal'c radio in as he checked Sam's pulse. Her heartbeat was steady which relieved Jack. He frowned at the sight of a red rash on her collarbone where her t-shirt had rubbed against her skin. He checked her stomach and found the same had occurred where the cloth of her waistband had cut into her body. He checked her fingers and saw the same rash. If he didn't know better he'd think…

It was impossible.

Sentinels were invariably male. There were hardly any female Sentinels on record and…Sam was mundane.

He scented her again, throwing caution to the wind and dialling up his senses.

Pheromones.

Sentinel pheromones.

She was a Sentinel.

 _His._

His mate.

The possessive desire flooded him with such a rush he almost went feral.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c's sharp command broke through his haze and he jolted back to himself gasping as though he'd been submerged under water too long without air.

Teal'c stood a few feet away from him, cautious. "Are you in distress, O'Neill?"

Jack gave a short laugh. "You could say that, T." He dialled his senses back and took a shaky breath. "Sam's come online."

Teal'c blinked.

"She's a Sentinel." Jack explained succinctly.

"I did not realise females of the Tau'ri could manifest Sentinel gifts." Teal'c said mildly, his dark gaze dropping to Sam's still form.

"Yeah, it's not usual." Jack said. "Should've known Carter would be anything but." He stroked a curl of her hair away from her sweat drenched face and thought her beautiful.

"Your reactions are also not usual." Teal'c commented.

Jack nodded. "I'm…she's…" he sighed heavily, "my Sentinel thinks she's his."

Teal'c raised the eyebrow. "Perhaps you should listen to your Sentinel, O'Neill." He said, sounding far too amused for Jack's liking.

Jack shot him a look. "You honestly think Carter won't kick my ass if I suddenly declare her mine. She's not a possession, Teal'c."

"But she is your mate as you are hers." Teal'c said without hesitation.

If only it were that simple, Jack mused.

"Come on," Jack said, packing up the first aid equipment back into the pockets of his vest and pants, "we have to get her back to the SGC." His jaw tensed at the thought of any other Sentinel laying eyes on her. But he had to get her to safety and the planet wasn't safe even with the elimination of the SuperSoldier. He stooped and picked up Sam carefully.

She sighed and curled into him, a hand tangling into his vest to secure herself even in her unconscious state.

Jack couldn't help but nuzzle into her hair and drop a kiss on her head. He ignored Teal'c's pointed look as he began walking back to the 'gate but he could admit to himself that maybe it was time to stop denying the truth.

o-O-o

Sam opened her eyes and blinked at the dull neutral colour of the ceiling above her head. The feel of the bed below her immediately reassured her of where she was; the SGC infirmary. The cocoon of silence around her was surprising though. Most of the time the infirmary had some kind of noise; a beeping machine, nurses and doctors bustling about in their duties, the murmuring conversations of teams drifting in and out for pre and post mission check-ups. But there was nothing.

Sam turned her head and realised why: she was in one of the Sentinel suites.

The small private rooms were reserved for treating badly injured Sentinels. The bed was standard issue but the bedding was the highest quality and Sam could already feel the difference against her skin. She was relieved to find she was clean and dressed but frowned again when she realised it was in a sentinel variant of infirmary scrubs; good quality fabric that wouldn't irritate a Sentinel's skin rather than the normal scratchy material. Even the bandage around her thigh was Sentinel friendly.

She was alone but she figured that the discreet camera in the corner of the ceiling would have already given away her return to consciousness. As though to prove her right, the door slid open and Janet Fraiser entered.

The diminutive doctor immediately turned and closed the door, the click of the lock ensuring she wouldn't be followed.

Sam's sense of alarm was only heightening but Janet gave her a reassuring smile as she approached. It took Sam a moment to realise her friend was wearing soft ballet shoes instead of the high heels that would have created sound.

"Janet," Sam sat up and greeted her friend, "what's going on?"

Janet raised a hand in a silent plea for patience and reached for a sealed bottle of water on the bedside table, opening it and pouring it into a glass before offering it to Sam. "Let's just do a quick check of your senses, Major."

Sam's eyes narrowed as her mind quickly added up all the facts and came to an astonishing conclusion. "I'm not a Sentinel."

Janet's brown gaze didn't falter. "Indulge me."

Sam considering arguing but she knew her friend and knew Janet wouldn't be shifted until the doctor had achieved her mission. She nodded briskly and took the water. "Taste?"

Janet nodded and picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed, a pen ready to take notes.

Sam sipped the water eagerly, the refreshing clean taste washing away the muggy undertone of stale breath and teeth. She grimaced as she lightly ran her tongue over her teeth, and was surprised to find hints of toothpaste. She looked questioningly at Janet. "I can taste peppermint?"

"We brushed your teeth when we cleaned you up." Janet explained calmly.

It was standard practice, Sam remembered; standard practice for the treatment of _Sentinels_.

Sam took another welcome drink of water and set the glass aside.

"Any strange tastes other than peppermint?" Janet asked, her brisk tone drawing Sam's attention back to the medical check-up.

"No," Sam said with a hint of irritation, "and everything feels fine; no strange sensations when I touch something."

"Good." Janet made a notation. "Sight?"

Sam shrugged. "Seems normal to me; same with my hearing."

"Any strange smells?" Janet asked moving onto the last sense.

Sam's nose wrinkled a touch. "You've got a new perfume?"

"Cassie bought it." Janet confirmed with a smile. "She thinks my old one is too fuddy-duddy."

Sam smiled back at the mention of Cassandra. Janet's adopted daughter, rescued by SG1 so many years before, was one of Sam's favourite people. Still, she didn't allow herself to be too diverted.

"What's going on, Janet?" Sam asked, her patience at an end. "How did I end up here?" Another thought suddenly occurred to her and her heartbeat escalated. "Is my Dad OK?"

"Your Dad's fine." Janet said quickly. "His leg was crushed by a falling tree but Selmak has already healed the worst of it. Another couple of days and he'll be completely fine."

"Good." Sam settled back against the pillow and levelled Janet with a frank stare that told her friend to explain the rest.

Janet put the clipboard down and pushed her hands deep in the pockets of her white medical coat. "You were rescued yesterday evening by Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c but immediately lost consciousness and had to be carried back to the SGC. When we examined you, your skin was already flaring into a Sentinel rash, and you reacted to any sound or touch with a whimper. Colonel O'Neill informed us strongly that you were a newly emerged Sentinel and to treat you as such. Since all the symptoms suggested the Colonel was correct, we proceeded on this basis."

Sam shook her head in automatic denial. "Why would he say that? I'm not a Sentinel."

"Your bloodwork says differently." Janet replied.

"But…" Sam tried to make sense of the news and failed. "There are no female Sentinels."

It was Janet's turn to shake her head. "The Sentinel and Guide Department keep the information classified but there have been four identified cases of female Sentinels in the last two hundred years."

"And?" prompted Sam, sensing it wasn't the end of the story.

"In each case the female Sentinel has become mentally unbalanced." Janet said bluntly. "The first two cases were before the advent of any understanding of brain chemistry or psychotherapy; they were put down as feral."

"And the others?" Sam said tersely. "What happened to them?"

Janet sighed. "Lady Amelia Bowden received shock therapy in the Fifties and was left brain damaged and in a coma. She died a year later." She shifted, a subtle move of her weight from one leg to another. "Alex Barnes is the most recent example and she was committed to a mental institution after attacking Blair Sandberg. She was there a year before she convinced a latent Guide on the nursing staff to help her commit suicide."

Sam blinked. "Great," she muttered, "so pretty much this is a death sentence?"

"No." Janet shook her head emphatically, tiny wisps of caramel brown escaping from her pinned up hair. "I don't believe that." She said fiercely.

Sam felt reassured; Janet was a great doctor and she was on the case. Whatever had caused the others to become instable, Janet would find the cause and make sure Sam didn't suffer the same.

"What's next?" asked Sam, eager to leave the confines of the small room. She wanted to check on her father with her own two eyes and she had to collect the effective energy cell, run some tests and ensure her changes were well documented.

"You need to stay in this Sentinel suite until we've checked everything out and I'm afraid we'll need to limit your exposure to other active and latent Sentinels and Guides until we know more." Janet said firmly. "There is a specialist from the Sentinel and Guide Department going over your test results so far. She'd like to meet with you and make an assessment to understand what might have triggered you coming online."

Sam pushed away the frisson of annoyance at being confined and kept separated from the majority of her team-mates since the Colonel was online and Daniel was a latent Guide. She wouldn't be able to see her father either since he was a latent Sentinel. There was only Teal'c who could be considered safe.

"When do we get started?" Sam asked, impatient to begin.

"After you've eaten." Janet said firmly. "I'll send in some food."

Sam's stomach rumbled and Sam flushed faintly. "I guess I could eat."

Janet smiled at her warmly. "Don't worry, Major. We'll get you through this."

Sam watched her leave and slumped back on her bed the moment the door swished shut.

She was a Sentinel.

She shook her head.

There had to be some kind of mistake.

o-O-o

 _Blood test positive for Sentinel marker._

 _DNA test positive for Sentinel gene._

 _Subject shows symptoms in line with Sentinel characteristics: sensitivity to bright lights, sound outside of human hearing ranges, skin sensitivity to rough fabrics, and heightened olfactory ability; taste is not affected and subject can tolerate spicy food and bitter drinks without problems._

 _To date mental stability is rated as good even though subject displays an increased intolerance with current situation._

 _Subject displays usual mannerisms in dealing with mundane staff. Suggest controlled re-introduction to wider population._

Sam read the brief lines with a glower.

Subject.

If she'd had any doubt about her feelings for Doctor Pamela Farthington-Smythe, the patient notes she'd just read would have removed any lingering ambiguity. She really didn't like the woman.

The dark haired English woman was cold and scientifically detached. Sam had felt no sense of empathy or human connection with the specialist since they'd met three weeks before. Sam had endured almost a month living in the Sentinel suite and she'd had enough.

She was about to leave the database when her eyes caught on another active file with Smythe's name on it. She frowned at the sight of Jack's name. There was a moment where she considered the ramifications of intruding into her CO's privacy but the need to know Jack was fine overrode her caution.

Her eyes flickered through the jargon and focused on the pertinent points; Jack was contained in another Sentinel suite a level below her. He had displayed feral behaviour when faced with another Sentinel in her presence when they'd brought her back and they'd had to tranq him into unconsciousness. He had continued to show signs of possessiveness and Smythe had made some notes that Ellison had displayed the same behaviour with Barnes. There was a speculation that male Sentinels would always respond possessively to females due to an underlying animal instinct to mate with their own kind.

She snorted at that, but then remembered the final moments on the planet when she'd craved Jack's touch and…

Maybe Smythe had a point. Maybe there were pheromones involved or some kind of instinctive connection.

The lioness on the bed huffed. The spirit animal had shown up on the third day once Sam had stopped protesting she wasn't a Sentinel and had made some effort to meditate following the advice in the Sentinel and Guide Department's 'So You've Come Online' pamphlet. The lioness was fierce; sleek and strong. It was clear in every way she moved that she was a predator; a hunter; a protector of her pride.

Sam tried not to think too hard about the fact that Jack's animal was a lion. She had never seen it but Kowalski had described it as a beast; strong but scarred. It seemed too much of a coincidence that she and Jack shared the same spirit animal but it had to be a coincidence, didn't it?

She scanned through Smythe's notes again, frowning at the cautionary warning for them to be kept apart with no contact. Well that explained why the Colonel hadn't appeared or been mentioned in any of Daniel's video messages to her.

The lioness yawned and turned her head to stare at the clock. It was almost time for the General's visit. The commander of the SGC had stopped by every evening with news and an update.

Sam's extended stay in the infirmary had led her father to remain behind while the rest of the Tok'ra left, claiming they needed to set-up a base without a continued reliance on the Tau'ri. Apparently the Free Jaffa had made a similar statement, and while Teal'c remained a member of SG1, he had been off-world for over two weeks helping his fellow Jaffa to settle onto a new planet. She had thought Jack had gone with him but she now knew where the SG1 team leader was and it wasn't keeping their Jaffa team-mate out of trouble.

Sam hurriedly clicked out of the medical files and quietly erased all evidence that she had been in the protected server. She moved back to her report on the latest gate diagnostics, reading through it before sending it onto the General.

The door chimed and Sam called for her visitor to enter.

Hammond entered, still dressed in uniform; the crisp lines of his pale blue shirt lending him an unmistakable air of authority. His blue gaze warmed at the sight of Sam sat in her usual blue BDUs and black t-shirt at the desk in the corner of the room.

She rose automatically to stand. "Sir."

"As you were, Major." Hammond ordered gently. He took the seat opposite her and gestured at the three laptops. "Still working?"

"I wanted to finish the gate diagnostics report." Sam said, glad she had decided to send the report after her foray into the medical database.

"I'll look forward to reading it tomorrow." Hammond said leaning forward. "Doctor Smythe has recommended we begin reintroduction."

Sam nodded; it was the only aspect of Smythe's report she'd appreciated. "I'd like that, sir."

Hammond inclined his head, the light glancing off his shining dome. "Your father and team-mates are certainly eager to see you too."

"The video messages have been great." Sam said.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Hammond stood. "Doctor Fraiser will be by in the morning to brief you on how the reintroduction will work."

"Thank you, sir." Sam said, rising. She remained standing until he had gone. She sat back down and looked over at her spirit animal.

The lioness gazed back at her with warm amber eyes.

One thing was certain, Sam thought determinedly; she wasn't going to accept Smythe playing at chaperone for long. Whatever was going on between her and Jack was between them, and it had been a long time coming.

o-O-o

Jack frowned at the small chime that signalled someone was about to enter but he didn't move from his position; stretched out on the bed, hands behind his back, legs crossed at the ankle. He had finally been allowed his uniform back and the familiar black t-shirt and green BDUs had helped settle him to the extent that the Doc had backed off the sensory control drugs. He hated the drugs; everything felt wrong.

He didn't change position as the door slid open and Daniel entered. The soothing presence of the latent Guide, of his team-mate, eased Jack's tension a touch but he didn't move from his supposedly relaxed position on the bed as Daniel dragged over a chair and sat close to him.

"Carter?" asked Jack immediately, picking up on the faint scent that lingered on Daniel's clothing.

"Smythe gave permission to start introducing other people than mundanes to her; I was first." Daniel reported crisply. "Teal'c's with her now."

Latent guides and aliens then.

"Dad'll be pissed." Jack murmured.

Daniel nodded, not even pointing out the weird habit Jack had always had of calling Sam's father 'Dad'. "Smythe wants to wait another week before introducing latent Sentinels."

Jack fought back the urge to growl at the idea of any Sentinel, latent or otherwise, approaching Sam. He wasn't an idiot regardless of what the small English scientist thought.

The time in the room had given him the opportunity to reconcile that his Sentinel had chosen Sam as his mate as soon as he had seen her on the planet.

It wasn't a question of conscious choice, Jack knew that much. Carter coming online as a Sentinel changed everything. In the instant he'd gotten to her side, put eyes on her, scented her, touched her…she was his and he was hers. He really didn't care if it was biology, instinct or spiritual mumbo-jumbo; Jack just knew the truth of it to his core.

The lion lying on the end of the bed snorted in agreement.

"Teal'c came back with some information from Bra'tac." Daniel said. "The Jaffa know of a legend spoken by the Goa'uld of a Sentinel Queen who would rise and be their undoing." He shifted on the chair, nudging his glasses back into position. "They tried to kill the story – literally. A whole world was apparently put to death by Ra to suppress the mythology."

"I'm so glad we killed that bastard." Jack muttered.

Daniel simply nodded in agreement. "Bra'tac said the story has been a whisper for centuries."

"He thinks it's Carter." Jack stated.

"She's an Alpha Sentinel." Daniel said. "Most of the Sentinels on base are already prepared to kneel before her, Jack." His eyes met Jack's furious glare. "The others aren't a threat. You're Alpha. They know she's yours." He rolled his eyes. "God! That sounds…Sam would kill me if she ever heard me say that!"

"What makes you think she's not listening in?" asked Jack amused as Daniel blanched. Jack moved suddenly, swinging his legs around and changing to sit on the bed directly in front of Daniel. "What have you found out about Smythe?"

Daniel grimaced. "Not much." He sighed at Jack's impatient glare. "She graduated from Oxford twenty years ago. She's got two degrees in Sentinel and Guide physiology and psychology. She went straight to work after graduation to the British Sentinel and Guide Council. She's on record as a latent Guide." He paused. "She's mainly been involved in researching online triggers and the best methods for assisting Sentinels and Guides in the first months after emergence. The SGD consider her an expert." He pinned Jack with a frank stare of his own. "What do you think?"

"I think she's going to be a problem." Jack said bluntly. He could sense Smythe's intentions were not completely altruistic but he had no evidence that she was malicious or criminal. More than anything, he hated that she was intent on keeping him from Carter, and he was willing to admit at least to himself that that action alone was probably influencing his feelings towards the SGD scientist.

Daniel nodded slowly.

Jack stood up and paced over to the desk in the far corner. He picked up the small stress ball there. It had been a gift from Carter; something she handed him when he was in her lab to stop him playing with the experiments and equipment there. It calmed him immediately; made his thoughts more ordered.

"What do you think of her theories?" asked Jack.

Daniel grimaced. "I read everything she supplied on the previous female Sentinels and it doesn't look good but…" he shrugged, "Sam doesn't seem crazy."

"But apparently I could make her crazy." Jack tried for a light tone and knew he had failed when Daniel's expressions shifted to sympathetic.

"You haven't managed it yet, so I don't think Sam turning into a Sentinel is going to change that." Daniel responded with enough humour that Jack was even amused. "Look, I don't think she's right about _that_." He continued, getting to his feet and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Jack waited patiently having recognised Daniel's 'I'm about to ramble on about theories' body language.

"Sandberg theorised that Barnes might have been stabilised by a bond with Ellison but with her already criminal behaviour and his own bond with Ellison already established, it wasn't something they were prepared to offer." Daniel frowned. "I'm not sure it's as simple as bonding. Janet's confirmed that the medical records from the last two female Sentinels on record do show a changed brain chemistry. Sam isn't showing that right now and Janet thinks that has something to do with the protein marker Jolinar left behind."

Jack turned that over his mind and accepted it without question. If there was one benefit from Carter's unwilling possession by the Tok'ra, it was that it had left her with an uncommon healing ability and enhanced physical strength.

"I think Smythe is right about you and Sam being attracted but I don't think it's all about you being Sentinels. She didn't see you together before. You've always used Sam to ground you. If she'd been a Guide…" Daniel trailed off.

Jack grimaced squeezing the ball tightly. If Carter had been a Guide…he wasn't sure he would have resisted the pull toward her. As it was, Daniel was right; he had always used Carter to ground his senses. God knew he'd tried to stop but he had never been able to prevent his senses reaching out for her. He was doing it that moment; listening for her heartbeat, following her faint steps across the floor of her room that existed just above his.

"And the fact that we're both Sentinels?" asked Jack harshly, knowing how unusual that was and how it was going to be abhorred by most of society if the truth ever got out.

"You two belong together." Daniel said firmly. "You've been fighting it for the last few years and…" he dropped his gaze as though ashamed, "I haven't pressed it and neither has Teal'c because it was between you and Sam but…" he looked up again, "you deserve to be happy, Jack. Teal'c already thinks it's mad you're not together and whatever it does to the team…I'll…I'll be happy for you. You and Sam both."

His words eased something in Jack; it was an acceptance Jack hadn't known he needed.

Jack let his senses roam; let the sounds of Carter alive and well soothe him; it cleared his mind a little more. His eyes narrowed as he considered his next move.

His lion caught his eye. The big cat got to his feet, shook out his mane and roared across the spirit plane.

"Daniel."

"Jack." Daniel cautiously acknowledged, knowing what that particular tone meant all too well.

"I'm going to need a distraction." Jack began.

Daniel sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest in what Jack knew was resignation. "Of course you will."

Jack tossed the ball in the air and shot his friend a cocky, if grim, smile. He didn't care; he wasn't going to be kept apart from Carter any longer. They had things to discuss and a future to be re-planned, and he was damned if he was going to allow Smythe or anyone to keep him from his mate.

o-O-o

 _The city rose in towering spires of shining white and silver; the sunlight making the walls gleam brightly and the metalwork shine. The bright blue sky above was a cloudless azure and beyond the edge of the city-scape, Sam could see the shimmer of water._

 _It was stunning._

 _Sam found herself walking forward to stand pressed up against the balcony railing. She breathed deeply, scenting salt and seawater in the air and underneath that the cold grey material that made up Atlantis smelled faintly of rubber and something else that soothed any discordant note. It was peaceful._

" _Atlantea always was beautiful."_

 _A melodic voice had her turning sharply back to the doorway. A young woman stood there. She had a cap of dark curly hair and a healthy tanned complexion; twinkling chocolate eyes met Sam's. She moved forward, her hands behind her back. She wore a flowing blue tunic over tight white pants and flat gold strappy sandals. A wide gold band circled one wrist and there was a wide gold necklace that circled her neck like an ornate collar._

 _Sam stiffened._

 _She was dreaming. It was a dream but it felt so real…_

" _You're on the spirit plane." The young girl said. "So am I. We're only able to talk here." She lifted her arm and a black bird plummeted from the sky to land on the girl's arm. Her spirit animal, Sam guessed._

 _Her lioness was regarding the bird as though it was prey._

 _The bird, a raven, spread its wings and gave the large cat a chiding look._

" _Why only here?" Sam asked curious._

" _I exist in one time and space," the woman said, "and you in another." She lifted a hand and waved it at the city. "But here neither has meaning and so you and I may talk, one Sentinel to another."_

 _Sam frowned. "What's your name?"_

" _Blackie, my raven, calls me CJ."_

" _Your raven?" Sam glanced at the bird before her eyes flickered to her lioness. "You can talk to your spirit animal? They talk to you?"_

" _The ability was lost in time," CJ said, "but you will find it again. You've already spoken to her once already when you were alone on a ship."_

" _Grace." The name left Sam's mouth without thought and the lioness's mouth gaped open a touch as though she was grinning. The lioness was the little girl who had helped her._

" _Your experience then was almost enough to bring you online but the closed environment of the Prometheus kept your senses from stirring even as you reached out to the spirits of those you love." CJ continued._

 _The raven took flight and they tracked its circling presence before they settled against the balcony railing looking out at the city._

" _I need to tell you a story." CJ said eventually. "It begins with a planet which exists in a far place in the universe; home to tribes of men and women who fight for each other and protect each other with enhanced senses, both physical and spiritual. Many centuries ago, they welcomed a young girl they found as a baby, naked in a clearing. She grew up the beloved daughter of the Spirit Man." CJ continued. "And so she witnessed as the Spirit Man guided the Warrior Prince to bring the tribes together in peace and as the young man fell in love with a Warrior Princess of another tribe. For a time there was a golden age. But the Warrior Prince had a young half-brother who he had raised as his own son, and this son wanted to claim the throne for his own. The tribe was divided in a great battle."_

 _Sam bit her lip, wanting to ask questions but somehow understanding it would be better to wait._

" _The Spirit Man had long disappeared from the world and was lost to them and even to his daughter who no longer talked with him on the spirit plane." CJ's expression softened into sad wistfulness. "Only she had the power to intervene and even then she could only mitigate what would happen."_

" _What did happen?" prompted Sam, unable to remain silent any longer._

" _Morde intended to claim the world as his own and send those who opposed him far across the universe, separating them from each other. It was a death sentence because each tribe member needed the balance of another and all needed the balance of the tribe." CJ explained, turning to look at Sam fully. "She was only able to prevent the death sentence, by sending the condemned to a far planet called Altera together. They suffered still as although they were together physically, their spiritual separation remained. Those who would balance each other still needed to find and merge on the spiritual plane to be whole."_

" _The original Sentinels and Guides." Sam breathed out in a rush of wonder._

" _Those designations never existed at the beginning; they came later as the tribe spread across the universe. Back then there were no such divisions in the tribe." CJ noted with a shrug. "Some had better senses; some had greater spiritual awareness; some had both. It wasn't important which they had just that there was balance."_

" _So a Guide could balance another Guide?" Sam asked tentatively._

" _And another Sentinel could balance another Sentinel, as the Warrior King and Queen were so balanced." CJ concluded with a smile. "The important thing was..."_

" _Balance." Sam breathed in deeply as she considered the ramifications. It was thought that the only true pairing was Sentinel and Guide. But this was revolutionary and would rock the foundations of what everyone thought they knew. She wondered briefly whether the public would view Sentinel only pairings or Guide only pairings as blasphemous._

" _Unfortunately this is not the end of my story." CJ said. "The Warrior King and Queen, and their main circle, had been imprisoned rather than sent away with their people. They managed to break free and there was another battle. With his dying moments, Morde cursed them, shaping the curse into human form and sending it spiralling through time and space."_

" _But the Spirit Man's daughter was able to help them again?" Sam asked._

" _She was only able to change the curse, she couldn't undo it." CJ explained. "The curse was…Morde was jealous of the love and bond the Warrior King and Queen shared. He cursed Guin with an insanity and he cursed all her kind with the same."_

" _All the female Sentinels." Sam murmured._

" _Only an ending to it could be shaped so it was done; when a Queen emerges, one who will be unaffected by the curse thanks to the sacrifice of another; one who will bond with her King; then they will together bring balance to their tribe allowing other female Sentinels to emerge without the curse, and this Queen will command a Warrior Prince to destroy the human form of the curse here," CJ gestured at the city, "in Atlantea." She finally turned back to Sam. "And so the young girl knowing this cure would be far in the future, sent the great Keep of Kamlot into stasis to protect those within from the effects of the curse and they will remain until the stasis is broken by the arrival of her true blood."_

" _Wow." Sam said shaking her head. "I don't even know where to start with that."_

 _CJ waited while Sam considered everything she had been told._

" _You think I'm the Queen foretold." Sam stated, folding her arms and holding CJ's gaze with a firm one of her own._

" _I know you are." CJ said._

" _Because you're the young girl in your tale." Sam said._

 _CJ didn't deny it and instead nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks._

" _And you're currently in stasis on a planet on the opposite side of the universe." Sam continued. "Which is why we're meeting here?"_

" _Yes." CJ said. "The Spirit Man taught me to walk the spirit planes when I was a child."_

 _Sam turned away from CJ, her heart pounding and her mind still trying to make sense of the tale CJ had spun._

" _This is your destiny, Sam." CJ murmured._

 _Sam spun back to her. "How can you be certain that I'm the Queen? I might…I might go mad the same as the others."_

" _The Tok'ra sacrified its own life to save you. Its healing powers are still within you." CJ argued. "You only need to find your balance; your King."_

 _A lion roared across the spirit plane and the lioness got to her feet to answer._

 _Sam's eyes widened. "Jack."_

 _CJ smiled widely. "Exactly."_

And everything around them seemed to swirl and blur. Sam sent a thought through the maelstrom; a farewell and a promise that CJ would one day be saved.

Sam opened her eyes.

And the base alarm sounded.

o-O-o

Danger.

Her blood sang wildly, leaping in response to the sound of the alarm.

Sam sprang to her feet, the lioness at her heels.

She immediately moved to the door knowing that with the base alarm it had gone into automatic lockdown. She pried off the panel beside it and began to work. A few moments later the door slid open.

Words whispered up through the floor.

She smiled grimly, checked the corridor and moved out.

o-O-o

Jack's head snapped up at the sound of the alarm and he frowned.

He'd asked for a distraction but sounding the base alarm was overkill even for Daniel and Teal'c, neither of whom were particularly subtle in their plans and stratagems. Daniel because he was too open, even after all he had suffered, and Teal'c, well, because he was Teal'c. No, he figured that their distraction would be more along the lines of a prison break not a base lockdown.

All of which meant the base was in trouble.

His tribe was in trouble.

And his mate was currently breaking out of her room if his hearing was good. Which it was.

His Sentinel growled his approval.

"Come get me next, Carter. That's an order." Jack said quietly, knowing she'd hear him.

Jack got to his feet and paced to the door.

His spirit animal circled him impatiently.

One minute sped by. Two. Three. A painful ten minutes later the steps outside the door were familiar enough that Jack eased back and waited.

It took Carter five seconds to get the lock disabled.

The door slid open.

For a long moment they simply looked at each other across the threshold; Carter on one side and Jack on the other.

"Carter."

"Sir." Carter shifted and made a sharp gesture toward the corridor. "Our tribe…" She said awkwardly.

Jack nodded briskly. "After."

She gave a crisp nod of her own. "After."

"Armoury." Jack ordered.

Carter turned and he followed her down the corridor. Behind him, a lion and lioness ran shoulder to shoulder with each other.

o-O-o

When the alarm had sounded Daniel had been ensconced in Sam's lab helping Teal'c with Jack's distraction; a small bomb that would divert base security to the labs and allow Jack to make his escape. And by helping he meant he had been standing at the side watching Teal'c carefully create a bomb from a zat gun and trying not to feel useless. He and Teal'c had both silently set aside their task though and gone to help with the base lockdown.

After assisting the civilian scientists to evacuate through the escape hatches they turned to each other in unison.

"Armoury." Daniel said a touch breathlessly.

Teal'c inclined his head. "Indeed."

They made their way to the right level using the hidden hatches and ladders rather than the elevators which had been disabled. The flashing red light on the corridor wall painted flashes of colour and darkness across the empty floor.

Daniel felt his heart pounding as he followed Teal'c in a light jog around the corner and almost barrelled into the back of the Jaffa as he came to a sudden halt.

The reason why was apparent as Daniel peeked around his friend's sizable form. He breathed out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of Jack in combat gear holding a P90 on them.

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"It is good to see you out of confinement, O'Neill." Teal'c said accepting the weapon Jack offered to him. "And you, Major Carter."

Daniel shared a warm smile with Sam as she helped him gear up quickly.

"Situation?" asked Jack as Daniel struggled into his vest.

"Unknown." Teal'c reported succinctly.

"The alarms went off without warning. The lower levels are locked down and we've evacuated most of the civilians from the upper levels up to the surface." Daniel said, finally getting the thigh holster to stay in place for the zat Sam handed him.

"There's a security room on this floor, sir." Sam said crisply. "We can access the cameras from there."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack confirmed. "Let's move out."

Daniel's hand tightened on his weapon and he followed his team-mates confidently; SG1 were together again and that didn't bode well for their enemy.

o-O-o

The security office was locked but it only took a moment for Sam to overcome the electronic device.

"Remind me to get your thoughts on better security when this is over, Carter." Jack muttered even as his voice warmed with praise.

Sam flashed a smile at him before entering the room with her weapon ready. The room was deserted. She slid immediately into the waiting chair by the main computer console, assured that the others would guard her back.

Jack ushered them all inside and set Teal'c at the door. He followed Daniel over and they took positions either side of Sam.

Sam's hand confidently flew over the keyboard as she covered their infiltration into the security room and took control without alerting anyone else. She brought up the security footage of the gate-room at the time of the alarm.

They all watched silently as the leader of SG4 came through the Stargate, followed by a number of Jaffa, and immediately opened fire on the personnel.

"Run it again, Carter." Jack said tersely.

Daniel's hand shot out and he tapped the form of Major Lindsay when he appeared. "Stop the footage here."

They looked grimly at the flash of light in Lindsay's eyes.

"It had to be snakes." Jack ground out humourlessly.

"It has to be one of Anubis's lieutenants." Daniel said. "He's the only one with any kind of power base at the moment."

Jack harrumphed. "Go ahead with the footage, Carter. Let's see how bad this is."

They watched silently as the leader of SG4 and the accompanying Jaffa overpowered the guards with zats and managed to get through the blast doors before they closed. They were clearly using Lindsay's knowledge of the defences to enable their assault to succeed.

Sam stiffened as she watched Lindsay charge into the control room where the General was trying to maintain order along with a familiar figure. "Dad!"

"Easy, Carter." Jack said placing a hand on her shoulder.

Sam felt the brush of her spirit animal against her leg and allowed the steady presence of Jack behind her and the lioness to pull her back from the edge of feral.

They watched as Hammond and her father were marched into the General's office. A moment later, Sam watched worriedly as Janet was pushed into the room alongside a distressed Smythe.

"Let's see how she likes being a hostage." Jack noted darkly.

"She's scared, Jack." Daniel admonished him.

"She's a pain in the ass." Jack retorted, unwilling to give ground.

"She's part of our tribe." Sam cut in. She frowned. "Look; the Jaffa have just secured the floor."

They'd put all the other remaining security and base personnel into a nearby storage room and locked it. The leader stayed in the General's office along with a couple of Jaffa while another group stayed in the control room.

"They're trying to hack into the computer." Sam realised as she watched the cameras with narrowed eyes.

"Intel on your SuperSoldier weapon." Jack said grimly, understanding immediately what they were after.

"The Sergeant did a good job at locking the mainframe down." Sam muttered as she focused on writing some additional code to keep the invaders occupied for a while.

"We need to take back the control room." Jack said.

"We'll need a simultaneous attack." Daniel noted. "There's four of us and, well, a lot more of them."

Jack nodded before his expression suddenly lightened.

Sam exchanged a concerned glance with Daniel because they knew that look.

"Sir?" asked Sam tentatively.

Jack grinned at her. "Carter, what we need is a distraction."

A distraction. That usually involved making something explode.

"I could create a small bomb."

Daniel raised his hand, catching Sam's attention. "Uh, Teal'c and I were just kind of building one in your lab."

Sam stared at him, ignoring Jack who was making silent gestures of 'Danger! Danger! Stop talking!' to Daniel behind her. Her lioness was growling at the idea of their territory being threatened. "In _my_ lab?"

"Well, of course we wouldn't have exploded it in your lab." Daniel hastily added, taking a step back. "Right, Teal'c?"

"It was our intention to trigger the device once it was removed to another location." Teal'c confirmed. "No harm would have come to your laboratory, Major Carter."

"And if it had gone off accidentally?" asked Sam pointedly.

"Then Daniel and Teal'c would have gone boom too," Jack jumped in with characteristic bluntness, "can we focus here, Carter?"

Right. Goa'uld invaders trying to break into the computer. She'd put a stop to that with her code; they wouldn't be able to crack that for a good forty hours. That left rescuing the hostages including her father and killing the Goa'uld.

Her eyes met Jack's in perfect silent agreement.

It was time to take back what was theirs.

o-O-o

The plan was devastatingly simple: Jack and Teal'c would use the bomb to blast through the primary door preventing people from entering the gate level. They figured most of the Jaffa troops would head in their direction, maybe even the Goa'uld, and the two warriors were happy enough at the idea of the fight that would ensue.

Meanwhile, Sam and Daniel would infiltrate the level through a tiny access shaft known only to the engineers and Sam. It would be a squeeze for Daniel but it was doable. They'd cover their entry with a smoke bomb at the same time as the explosion was due to happen. Their primary mission was to rescue the hostages which suited Sam's inner Sentinel needs most.

Of course, Sam grumbled under her breath, there was the old maxim that no plan survived engagement with the enemy and theirs had just hit a major roadblock.

The explosion had gone off as planned and the Goa'uld had ordered the majority of the Jaffa to go and deal with it in thankfully predictable fashion. Their infiltration had been a success with the smoke bomb covering their entry and even rescuing the first set of hostages from the storage room had gone without a hitch. The bonus on that was that SG3, who had been in the control room when it was invaded, had four Sentinels ready for a fight. Reynolds immediately sent Morris and Cazaghi to help Jack and Teal'c while he and a newly promoted Marine Lieutenant called Ford, assisted Sam in rescuing the hostages in the General's office.

That was when everything went awry.

They had all agreed not to kill the Goa'uld; its host, Lindsay, could be saved by the Tok'ra. That ruled out a simple shot to the head. Unfortunately that meant their tactics were limited.

Sam threw a smoke bomb straight through the glass window that separated the office from the conference room.

The Goa'uld charged out but dragging Smythe in front of him as a human shield. His personal Jaffa guard, one who had a forehead tattoo in an obscure shape that Daniel frowned at, (and who reminded Sam of the unlamented Prime of Heru-ur), and another Asian Jaffa, escorted the General, her father and Janet out ahead of themselves.

"Samantha Carter." The Goa'uld snarled. "You will provide us with the information we require and assist us in leaving this place or I will kill everyone here."

"Sorry," Sam said from her position by the stairs, her gun held steady, "but I'm not going to do that." She took a breath. "Let the hostages go and surrender."

"She's right, son." General Hammond tried to intervene but a poke from the staff weapon the Jaffa behind held silenced him.

"You're Wepwawet." Daniel proclaimed from his cover by the door of the conference room. "You're the scout for the invasion; the opener of ways for Anubis."

"Do not speak his name!" The Goa'uld thundered.

"But you're not here for Anubis," Daniel continued on blithely, (and Sam was reminded that in his own way Daniel was just as adept at irritating a Goa'uld as Jack), "because he would have provided you with a Kull warrior not Jaffa. So that means you're here for you; to find out how to defeat Anubis."

Wepwawet snarled his defiance and Smythe whimpered as his grip tightened on her momentarily. Sam could smell how terrified the English woman was.

"His warriors are abominations!" The Goa'uld growled.

"No argument from us." Sam cut in before Daniel could begin again. "But taking one of our people and invading our base isn't winning you any allies here."

"I would sooner ally myself with the Tok'ra than the Tau'ri!" Wepwawet spat out.

Her father's eyes flashed with the unmistakable presence of his Tok'ra symbiote. "As though the Tok'ra would ally themselves with one who has killed so many of us without mercy." Selmak snapped. "I remember you, _Uppy_."

Well, that was singularly unhelpful, Sam mused.

Daniel cleared his throat nosily, drawing attention back to himself. "Look, you want to defeat Anubis, we want to defeat Anubis. We have a common goal. There is a saying here that the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

"I would rather die!" Wepwawet snarled, eyes flashing brightly.

"That could be arranged." Sam answered without thinking and she could feel her Sentinel stirring, adrenaline rushing through her. Her head tilted as sounds of the battle between the rest of Wepwawet's Jaffa and their troops echoed through the SGC; it was coming to an end. "It's over, Wepwawet. Stand down!"

Wepwawet raised his hand, the glinting hand device shining under the bright lights of the conference room.

Sam didn't hesitate; she raised her weapon and shot his hand to pieces.

The pain was enough to startle the Goa'uld into losing his grip. Smythe stumbled free and thankfully dove under the table out of the way.

Sam was on Wepwawet a moment later, scarcely aware that in the confusion Janet had stabbed one of the Jaffa with a syringe directly into his neck, assisted by Hammond and her father. Reynolds and Ford engaged the other Jaffa in hand to hand combat. Daniel dived under the table to provide Smythe with some protection.

Her P90 blocked Wepwawet's first clumsy blow and Sam quickly retaliated with a sharp jab with the butt of her weapon to his jaw; his head snapped back before the Goa'uld gained control and brought out a knife.

They danced around the conference table in a deadly game of a thrusting dagger which Sam parried with her P90 at every turn. Eventually, she was able to find an opening and slammed her weapon into an exposed chest, breaking the rib cage; the force of it sent the Goa'uld to the floor. Sam kicked away the knife and stomped on his good arm, breaking it. She followed that up and used the butt of her P90 to knock the screaming Goa'uld out.

"Nice." Jack's amused voice had her immediately turning around to seek him out.

He stood over the body of the second Jaffa whom Reynolds had been tackling with; Teal'c stood beside him a satisfied air radiating from his relaxed demeanour. Reynolds, himself, sat to the side slumped against a wall with Janet treating his injuries; his team-mates hovered protectively. Sam knew that Jack as Alpha must have intervened when it had looked like Reynolds was going to lose. A brief glance around the conference room and she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her father, leaning a little on a cane, but otherwise looking unharmed, beside the trussed up form of the other Jaffa. Daniel was assisting a still trembling Smythe out from under the table.

Satisfied, everyone was fine, she took a step toward Jack.

"Wait!" Smythe called out hurriedly. "You shouldn't have any contact with the Alpha! It could drive you insane!"

Their lions sprang into form between Smythe and themselves and she gave a little shriek barrelling back into Daniel.

"I think maybe Sam and Jack know what's best for them." Daniel suggested steadying her.

"Indeed." Teal'c rumbled his agreement.

Sam and Jack gave their team-mates a warm smile and turned back to each other, their eyes meeting and holding.

"General Hammond?" Jack called out lightly.

"Yes, Colonel?" Hammond answered cheerfully, clearly guessing what Jack was about to do.

"I hereby resign my commission, sir." Jack stated briskly.

Sam started to smile, grateful at the gesture that would take away any suggestion of coercion or muddy the waters of their professional relationship.

"I can't accept, Colonel, but let's agree you're no longer Major Carter's CO as of right now." Hammond said amused.

Sam shot the General a brilliant smile. Janet grinned her approval beside the leader of SG3.

Jack shifted, his head tilting towards Sam's father. "Dad?"

Jacob Carter sighed heavily and looked at his daughter. "Him? Really?"

Sam nodded, a touch breathless, nerves caught in the back of her throat because she and her Dad had their moments but his approval meant something to her.

Her father gave another heavy sigh and turned back to Jack. "Hurt her and I will rip you limb from limb."

Jack nodded seriously, and for a moment the two men communicated without words just how much they both mutually loved the woman in front of them.

Sam felt her happiness bubble up, effervescent and indescribable.

Jack reached out a hand and she took it, fingers sliding against fingers, palm against palm.

And everything seemed to just click into place as he drew her close and held her lightly.

"My Queen." Jack whispered and kissed her.

Everything around them blurred as Sam gave herself up to the kiss; to finally holding Jack and being held; to the way her skin sang and her senses hummed with satisfied glee and contentment. She was whole; Jack was her balance just as she was his. She could feel his spirit, wounded yet strong as steel, and soothed his hurts with wordless love just as he enveloped her spirit in a warm cocoon of respect and adoration; he would kill for her, die for her, live for her.

A shockwave of love roared out from them and rippled through the spirit plane bringing balance to their tribe…

"Goodness." Smythe murmured, bringing them back to the present and the conference room with its evidence of a battle just won.

They looked at each other a touch sheepishly before taking a step back, still holding each other. Beside them their spirit animals sat side by side contentedly.

"Well, General as you have everything under control here with Weepy…" Jack began.

"Get out of here, Colonel, before I change my mind." Hammond agreed.

Sam exchanged a quick look with her father who appeared resigned but his dark eyes twinkled at her and a whisper found her ears… _"Be happy, Sam."_

And as Jack ushered her out of the room toward the nearest elevator to the surface where they'd head for his home and territory, Sam knew she was happy finally. She and Jack had a lot to discuss once they were finished bonding. Their immediate future still held the threat of Anubis and Replicators, and beyond that there was her dream of Atlantea and CJ and destiny…

Sam lifted her head as they found themselves under the night sky. She breathed in deeply the scents of earth and home; of Jack and love. Her eyes found the stars as Jack wrapped her hand in his.

The future would wait, Sam determined; she was Queen and she had a Sentinel to make King.

The End.


End file.
